Mississippi-Mud Forums

I got my new trail rig today. This thing is pretty cool. Here is what has been done so far:

1989 Jeep cherokee sport two door.
4.0 strieght 6cyl.
NP 231 t-case, and not sure of the tranny yet, but it is an auto.
Its got aprox. 8-10in's of lift
35x12.5x15 Procomp Mud terrains
Front axle:
Dana 44 with 5:13 Yukon gears and a mini spool
Rear axle:
Ford 9" with 5:13 Yukon gears and a mini spool
Both axles are out of an early 70's ford bronco, with drum brakes front and rear.
All of the gears and spools are new, and have only been off roaded once, so Ive been told.
There has been a steel Ibeam subframe welded to the unibody, with custom cross member, to add extra stangth to the unibody.
Custom front and rear bumper, that hopefully wont stay very long.



Mods to come:


Long travel shocks
new shock mounts(there are not any right now.
8000lb winch
roof rack
remove all of the rear windows, including the rear hatch. I will be replacing
them with removable plexi glass. For the nice summer wheeling
disc brakes front and rear
front and rear replacement seats with harnesses instead of belts
All new leaf springs, and shackles
High steer conversion
cut out and repair rusted tub
Im sure I will come up with some more things as I go.

And now for the pics:

yikes that steering and the leaf mounts are scary. imo alot of things need to be changed for that to be a dependable and safe wheeler.

Let me know what you see that needs to be changed. So I can work on them.

ok heres my list of what i think should be changed. i'll start with the front. the fab work on the front crossmember is pretty sketchy. small tack welds and big gaps in places. also the blocks on the front leafs need to go. the front leafs are too flat and are already starting to bend backwards. the Z bar drag link is not safe. the shackle mounts for the rear of the front springs could be higher. i don't care for the frame stiffener/subframe as they loose too much ground clearance and looks like several of the weld are already failing on it. rear spring mounts could also use some work. rear springs are also bending backwards already and the passenger spring isn't even the same as the drivers side. in other wards i think it needs a complete suspension rebuild and something done with the steering

Thanks Alex, I will add these things to my list to be done.
I was thinking that I would have to do something with the springs to begin with. I want to change the bumpers, but the shakles are hanging fromt them. makes it kinda hard to change with out modifiing something.

Alex, should I use a shorter front spring set up? What do you suggest for spring replacements?

x2. Especially on the steering link. I cringed when I saw that. I imagined you, Amber, and the girls taking off for a trail ride thinking that was O.K.


BTW, what's wrong with those bumpers? They are much better than what MY truck came with. :razz:

Ok, I just measured the spring lengths. They are all 55" long.

What should I do to the stering to replace the Z link?


All of the info is great, keep it coming. I know absolutely nothing about these rigs. That is why I said it was a project. I got it really cheap, and figured I would have to fix some things on it.

yes i would use shorter springs up front. but any change in spring length and you will have to redo all of the mounts for the springs. there are lots of springs that work pretty well up front. take a look at this thread and it will get you headed in the right direction. http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=720309

hi-steer is the best way to fix the steering.